CIO Business Alignment

Carphone Warehouse may "spin-off" TalkTalk broadband

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 09:14:00 GMT

ISP to be sold off

Carphone Warehouse is considering plans to spin off its TalkTalk broadband internet business according to weekend reports.

Richard Sykes on the lessons of Moore's Law

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:00:00 GMT

Gordon Moore's dictum on unrelenting technological progress causes Richard Sykes to recall leadership styles in his ICI days

The real consequence of Moore’s Law is that determined, creative people are enabled to endlessly redraw the technical world and others, consequently, the business world. There can be no stability yet people find it hard to endlessly re-calibrate their priorities to timescales determined by the near exponential tick-tock of Intel co-founder Moore’s clock.

BBC iPlayer plans global reach, multi-platform coverage

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:40:00 GMT

BBC's technology director discusses plans for iPlayer

Erik Huggers, Director of BBC Future Media & Technology, outlined the plans for the future of the iPlayer, the popular catch-up online media player, during a keynote at Screen Digest’s The Future of Online Media Distribution conference.

ITV merges online and broadcast services

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 01:26:00 GMT

New multi-platform strategy announced

ITV announced it is merging its websites and online content with its broadcast service to create a single division.

InBev profits brew up as IT team look towards M&A integration

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:27:00 GMT

Stella sales as Bud set to join InBev

Brewers InBev has reported that its total revenues grew by 7.7 per cent in the third quarter of 2008. Last week the Brussels based company said its “flexible approach” to IT contracts reduced the need renegotiate contracts.

Asos.com IT Director keeps a sharp eye on future trends

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 09:00:00 GMT

Keeping up with fashion

In the world of fashion, keeping ahead of current trends is vital. When last season’s red becomes the new black, you don’t want to be left in the dark. And it’s no difference whether you’re a big-name couturier, a high-street designer or the IT chief behind the UK’s largest online fashion retailer.

West Sussex Council review aims for customer service

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:52:00 GMT

IT and business processes will put customers first in deal with CapGemini

West Sussex County Council has embarked on a business transformation review as it seeks to become a customer focussed organisation that will use IT to deliver a range of services to the south coast council’s residents.

PGA Tour IT chief Steve Evans uses BI to satisfy fans and players

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:00:00 GMT

Putting IT straight

In 2008, the PGA Tour will award $278m in prize money. And it’s up to Steve Evans, senior vice president of IS, and his team to deliver it.

Team GB and Accenture use profiling tools to win Gold

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:00:00 GMT

Business insight for sail in Beijing

We’re used to hearing Olympic champions thank their coaches, families and gods while clutching their hard-earned gold medals, but few have yet offered a word of thanks to the management consultants that helped them bring that precious metal home.

Forbes CIO puts project management in the cloud

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 11:00:00 GMT

Mykolas Rambus advocates Project Portfolio Management as clear view of the department

If you really want to know if a technology or business system works, don’t ask anybody, ask a CIO. Your peers know all too well the pain of failure, but also the joy of success. Mykolas Rambus, CIO at publishing group Forbes is one CIO who is a keen advocate of Project Portfolio Management (PPM). Rambus and a growing number of CIOs are discovering that PPM ticks business boxes, technology boxes and financial boxes as a software as a service offering.

Swiss Re to consolidate asset management IT

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:08:00 GMT

Reinsurer to improve visibility of assets

Swiss Re will consolidate the accountancy technology supporting its asset management business.

CIOs to map the supply chain of the future

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 10:00:00 GMT

Data loads will shape the truck loads of the tomorrow

Wet summers and extreme floods, Tesco branded vans darting in and out of suburban streets like minnows in a stream and a Conservative Party stating it will tax companies on the impact they have on the environment. These issues are indicators of the pressures the supply chain of major retailers and manufacturers in the UK is about to endure from customer consumption habits and regulations.

Forging a Business Partner

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:00:00 GMT

CIOs reshape their IT culture to create an organization capable of partnering strategically with the rest of the business

While some CEOs recognise the expanding role that the IT organisation must play as a partner in creating new value, there are too many companies where the view of IT as a non-strategic service provider or cost centre still persists. CIOs at large and small companies struggle to change this perception and break down the internal boundary separating IT from the rest of the business. CIO Executive Council members at Quest Diagnostics, Medco Health Solutions and YRC Worldwide have gone beyond the basics of alignment and banning techno-speak to reshape the IT culture, refocus on the end customer and reallocate funding to drive business.

AXA tech services CIO switches to Logica

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 10:27:00 GMT

New CIO to oversee major alignment project as he leaves the insurance sector

Laurent Allard is leaving AXA Technology Services, part of the AXA insurance group to become CIO of technology services provider Logica, which has major contracts with government agencies and the Royal Mail.

Virgin Rail, platforms for IT change

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 12:00:00 GMT

The rail industry never stands still, and Virgin Rail's IT chief Francis Jellings knows that goes for the IT infrastructure as much as the rolling stock

The Eurostar connects Britain to Europe, but the beating heart of rail travel in Great Britain has always been the Midlands. For decades Crewe was synonymous with locomotive construction, and major rail companies to this day base their head offices in the Midlands.

Collaboration and decentralisation will keep WS Atkins strategy ontrack

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:20:00 GMT

Construction firm standardises IT to enable greater mobile working

Engineering and construction consultancy WS Atkins demonstrated strong business alignment today as Ed Wallis, the group’s chairman announced the groups trading statement. In a recent interview with CIO Lesley Hume WS Atkins IS director outlined how the IS department strategy aligns with the strategy of Lesley entire group.

New Woolworths boss will improve supply chain systems

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 12:41:00 GMT

Further IT and supply chain improvements required states Johnson

New Woolworths boss Steve Johnson has said the retail and distribution company, famed for its high street stores, must continue to improve its management of in-store inventory. Major improvements to the supply chain and its related IT have been driven by the CIO and management team at Woolworths, but in an interview, Johnson indicated more improvements are to come.

Nortel buys SIP developer

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 10:27:00 GMT

Pingtel joins the fold

Nortel has bought Pingtel, the developer of a software-based unified communications system.

Fiat is alive and kicking thanks in part to tech policy

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:00:00 GMT

A recipe for success

An IBM survey has found that CEOs feel that their companies are slow in responding to organisational challenges, including new ways to take advantage of technology.

Globalised IT outlook proves resilient at HSBC

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 16:34:00 GMT

Bank says its technology strategy is beneficial in difficult market

Globalised systems were applauded for their part in the $10 billion profits HSBC announced for the first half of 2008 today. The London based global banking group described itself as “resilient” as the banking sector endures its worst slow down of recent years.

Unilever SAP and transformation on track

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:11:00 GMT

Sales drop, but efficiency programme continues on course

Anglo-Dutch household goods manufacturer Unilever said its business transformation programme, which includes a move to a standardised SAP platform, will be completed by the end of this year. Announcing its figures for the first half of 2008, the company said sales had slowed.

Aviva extends cost cutting ambitions

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:07:00 GMT

£500 million target, including IT cuts, as Aviva strives forward with efficiencies

Insurance company Aviva has announced that its One Aviva cost saving programme is to be extended with a new target of £500 million up from £350 million. One Aviva includes a rationalisation of IT at the British financial services provider. Announcing the increased savings target as it released its interim results for the first six months of the year, Aviva also said its operating profits were up.

BP boss hails Agenda of standardisation as profits soar

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:36:00 GMT

High oil prices and Forward Agenda of business improvements oil the wheels of positive change

High oil prices and the Forward Agenda of reducing complexity and efficiency improvements are paying off at oil company BP. Today’s results for the first half of 2008 showed profits in the second quarter of £4.74 billion. Chief executive Tony Hayward cited the Forward Agenda, which includes an overhaul of IT systems within BP, as being a primary reason for the profits.

Former BT CIO buys trendy telco platform startup

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 11:43:00 GMT

CIO News View: CIO involvement is a pointer to where the role is going

BT said today that it has acquired Ribbit Corporation , a Silicon Valley startup (working in “Telco 2.0” indeed) for $105m (£53m) in cash.

CIO News View: Brocade-Foundry deal can't hide majors' dominance

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:53:00 GMT

ICT consolidation is a done deal

So Brocade’s agreement to buy Foundry Networks is “a move that could challenge Cisco's dominance in the network equipment market” (San Jose Mercury News ) , packs the “potential of making Brocade a stronger competitor against networking powerhouse Cisco Systems” (Information Week) and will “pose a direct challenge to Cisco” (Associated Press).